For the last two days here in Baddeck, N.S. where the Liberals are holding their 2010 summer caucus retreat, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has hammered Jack Layton and the NDP over their position on the long-gun registry, going so far as to say that NDP stands for “No Darn Principles”. NDP hill staffers and some MPs immediately launched an all-out attack on Twitter at the Liberals.
Here's the play-by-play on Twitter (with explanations of Twitter terms below):
After Ignatieff's speech on Monday
Adam Goldenberg (Ignatieff speech-writer, tweets as @adamgoldenberg: On #gunregistry: #NDP has to “stand up, or they've got No Darn Principle.” – @M_Ignatieff
Marc-Andre Viau (NDP caucus press secretary tweets as @maviau) Maternal health, pay equity, enviro assessment.. RT @davidakin Fightin' words: @M_Ignatieff says #NDP stands for No Darn Principles
James Valcke (Researcher, NDP Caucus Services tweets as @ValckeNDP) : AECL privitization, Anti-scab, climate change @davidakin Fightin' words: @M_Ignatieff says #NDP stands for No Darn Principles
George Soule (NDP caucus press secretary, tweets as @G_Soule) : out of #afgh, tar sands, torture, pro-choice… RT @davidakin Fightin' words: @M_Ignatieff says #NDP stands for No Darn Principles
Valcke: @M_Ignatieff and #lpc now simply telling bold face untruths about their history of support Harper conservatives.
Drew Anderson (communications for NDP HQ elections team tweets as @DrewA_NDP🙂 @M_Ignatieff 's principles: “The United Nations is a messy, wasteful, log-rolling organization.”
Anderson: @M_Ignatieff 's principles: “We need to make sure that assassinations don't do more harm than good. “
Valcke: Sponsorship scandal, Kyoto failure, corp tax cuts RT @davidakin Fightin' words: @M_Ignatieff: #NDP stands for No Darn Principles
Soule
: Fear not. I'm sure many flip flops to come. RT @alisoncrawford5 Last bbq flip of the #lpcx [Crawford, a CBC Radio reporter, had posted the picture at right)
Valcke: “No Darn Principles” comment by @M_Ignatieff was almost as offensive as their feigned patronage outrage last week.
Oliva Chow (NDP MP tweets as @OliviaChow): #LPC united and principled? What about on abortion rights, Afghan war and the 120 votes in support of #CPC in #HoC?
Michelle Simson (Liberal MP tweets as @michellesimson): O Jack, just watching ur news conf on CPAC re party's stance on the gun registry. Talk 2 the hand. U're not building a bridge, ur blowing 1.
Soule: Still vexed by an #lpc leader who voted over 100 times with the Harper #cpc, pointing the finger at others for lack of principles.
Anderson: “Nothing is personal in politics because politics is theatre.” @M_Ignatieff 's principles.
Valcke: Bahahahahaha #youkillme RT @RupNDP: Liberals' “big red tent” is more like a “big circus show”
Brad Lavigne (National Director of the NDP, tweets as @bradlavigne): For the record, if the Liberals want to run the next campaign on a contest of principles, we're kinda ok with that.
Goldenberg
: Missing: @JackLayton's credibility. If found, please call – [Goldenberg tweets a link to the picture at left]
Goldenberg: Jack Layton helped Stephen Harper scrap childcare & Kelowna Accord. Now he's helping him scrap the #gunregistry. What's next?
Viau: AK47 are illegal. Get your pic right.
Valcke: @adamgoldenberg “I commit to you that I will call a general election within 30 days of the commission's final report and recommendations.” And then the people of Canada will have their say. (Address to the nation) CBC, April 21 2005 Paul Martin
Valcke: @adamgoldenberg maybe you missed that though. I'll give you a mulligan.
Goldenberg: Check your dates, @ValckeNDP. The final report was released 2 months after Jack Layton voted down the Martin government, dooming childcare.
Viau: Good reading for the #Libs. Principled Liberals/un-principled New Democrats? It is to laugh. http://tinyurl.com/37xccnt #ludicrous
After Ignatieff's speech on Tuesday
Goldenberg: “You can side with the police on the #gunregistry or you can side with Mr. Harper. Make up your mind, Jack.” – @M_Ignatieff
Lavigne: The #ndp need to decide? Really? #lpc has voted with Harper 100+ times on confidence matters. #payequity #war #nukes #alittlerich
Viau Make up your mind like Harper your time is up? RT @davidakin Iggy to NDP on #gunregistry: Make up your mind, Jack. The hour is getting late.
Viau #Iffy wants to amend the long gun registry, then doesn't want to. #flipflop #makeupyourmind
Soule: On registry: Ignatieff doesn't get it: building bridges btwn rural&urban Cnda is what Cndn principled leadership is about.
Goldenberg: @G_Soule Fact: You can either improve #gunregistry (#LPC's plan) or scrap it (Harper's plan). You can't scrap it, then improve it.
Valcke: Brinsksmanship politics. Way to keep the issues of the nation clear as mud.
Soule: @adamgoldenberg wrong. You can fix it. (#ndp proposal) or do nothing except MT promises despite 9 yrs in maj. gov't with it. (#lpc reality)
Valcke: Canadians send MPs to Ottawa to represent them and find solutions. Jack Layton has been building bridges since he arrived here.
Ben Parsons, (Researcher, Liberal Research Bureau tweets as @parsob): It is clear to me that a certain segment of the NDP caucus has lost confidence in Jack Laytons leadership.
Goldenberg: Simple Q for #NDP staffers @ValckeNDP & @G_Soule: How does @JackLayton plan to improve the #gunregistry after scrapping it?
Valcke: Wasn't it just a few months ago the Libs had a problem with votes on thier own motion? 3 Lib MPs opposed their leader in the House?
Soule: @adamgoldenberg No secret, we're both staff. Not complicated. We fix it by showing leadership, getting support in #hoc to not scrap it.
Goldenberg: So… those 12 #NDP MPs will vote *against* C-391?
Goldenberg We need 12 #NDP votes to #savethegunregistry. Lend us your votes, @JackLayton.
Lavigne: #lpc has lost almost every rural seat it held in 2000. Today it announced it is writing-off what is left
Goldenberg @bradlavigne Gun control = “writing-off” rural Canada? Sounds like “the stereotype that rural priorities begin & end w/ guns.”
Anderson: Buyer beware! Don't take your #bigredtent out in the rain. Apparently they'll shrink 97 seats in 10 years.
Twitter terms used above:
#AFGH – Afghanistan
#HOC – House of Commons
#IFFY – Perjorative nickname for Michael Ignatieff
@[NAME] – Used to denote that a tweet is “at” or in reference to something some other Twitter user said.
#LPC – Liberal Party of Canada
#LPCX – Liberal Party Express – Ignatieff's cross-summer tour
#NDP – New Democratic Party
RT – Re-tweet. When you see something on twitter that you want to pass along or comment upon, you can “re-tweet” it so the next person reading it can see it. Authorship generally belongs to the @[NAME] that immediately follows the RT.